..what it used to be, or so the saying goes. I can see the point in the saying but I tend to disagree.
Yesterday, with the VFR being off the road while I source a new right hand mirror, I decided to take the CBX out. As always happens when I decide to do so, I was horrified to find that it was January when I rode her last. Come on, Phil, get you act together.
But the weather was wonderful and double demerits wasn’t going to bother me either as Bexie isn’t that quick (neither is the rider). I decided on a local run and was delighted to find that the roads were surprisingly deserted (until I started coming home – more later).
I stuck primarily to the backroads for the reasons above and because they tend to be less trafficed as well. So I went out through Marshall Mount, through Calderwood and out onto the highway at Tullimbar. I then headed east back towards Albion Park and cut up through the suburbs to emerge on Terry Street south of the village.
From there it was my usual bimble through Jamberoo to Kiama, round the roundabout and back until I reached Swamp Road. This road pops you out onto the Princes Highway south of the Dunmore railway station.
As soon as I got out I realised that this wasn’t a good move. The highway was blocked with holiday-makers in their cars heading back to Sydney. I’ve done it before, lots of times, and on DD weekends as well so I trundled into the bicycle lane and crept past the traffic until I arrived at the Shellharbour exit. 🙂
Next stop was the Shellharbour Marina which was packed with holiday-makers and I couldn’t blame them.
My next stop was Lake Illawarra where I found a nice spot to admire the scenery and take a couple of pictures.
The traffic on the eastern side of the lake was very light and I made good time through Berkeley and back home down the freeway, pausing at Reid Park to get the obligatory escarpment shot that appears at the top of this article.
Around 80kms, hardly a huge ride but it did prove that nostalgia IS what it used to be. Despite being 32 years old, Bexie more than holds her own in modern usage and provides the same sort of enjoyment that I remember from her when I first bought her in 1994. Is it any wonder that a 600cc bike is probably as ideal a ride in the 21st Century as it was in the 20th?
Here’s how Relive saw the ride..
